National Report

Published Sunday, August 31, 2008

Fire at Oregon state Capitol investigated as arson

SALEM, Oregon -- A fire broke out early Saturday at the Oregon state Capitol in Salem, leaving the building with smoke, water and fire damage, including to the governor's ceremonial office and the offices of some of his high-ranking staff members.

The fire, which started on the south side of the building, was reported at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday by neighbors, and was put out in about 20 minutes, said Capt. Calvin Curths of Oregon State Police. Five janitors working inside the building exited safely after being alerted by a fire alarm.

The blaze is being investigated as a possible arson, but a cause is not expected to be announced until after the holiday weekend.

The Oregon State Capitol burned down twice before, most recently in 1935. Extensive renovation work was being done on the Capitol this year, much of it in the area where the fire is thought to have started.

Most of building, which was added to the National Registry of Historic Buildings in 1988, escaped the blaze.

2 St. Louis hospital emergency rooms on lockdown

ST. LOUIS -- Two St. Louis-area hospital emergency rooms are on lockdown after the arrival of patients who appeared to be exposed to chemicals.

Authorities say three people arrived by car at St. Anthony's Hospital with health problems caused by chemical exposure, apparently at an industrial area in East St. Louis, Ill.

Meanwhile, three other victims reportedly went to SSM DePaul Health Center.

Details of their conditions were not immediately known.

Authorities say the victims were exposed to a white powdery substance.

About 20 people who were in the St. Anthony's ER were quarantined. People were not being allowed to enter or leave the emergency room.

Caylee's mom may be in jail for some time

ORLANDO -- Casey Anthony may be facing a lengthy stay at the Orange County Jail after the Clearwater bail bond agency that helped spring her from jail rescinded its bond early Saturday.

Anthony, 22, was arrested late Friday on charges alleging she stole and cashed $746.87 in checks from her friend Amy Huizenga, 24, in July. She made her first appearance before a judge on three related charges at the Orange County Jail Saturday afternoon, as Texas-based EquuSearch looked for Anthony's missing daughter, Caylee Marie.

Anthony was impassive during her brief hearing Saturday afternoon, where Judge Mike Miller set bail at $3,000 for charges of uttering a forged instrument, fraudulent use of personal information and petty theft. MacDonald Bail Bonds posted Anthony's bail on those charges, but she remained jailed on the original $500,200 bail set following her arrest last month on charges of child-neglect and filing a false report to law enforcement.

Leonard Padilla, the California bounty hunter who helped bail Anthony out of jail on Aug. 21, said that the decision to revoke her bond was reached by his nephew, bondsman Tony Padilla, who posted Anthony's bail, and the Texas-based surety company that underwrote the bond. Padilla said that their decision was primarily caused by the angry, sign-carrying crowd that gathered outside of Anthony's parents' home, where she stayed following her release from jail in July.

Navy abruptly cancels construction of destroyers

WASHINGTON -- The Navy took the unusual step of abruptly canceling construction of its expensive new class of destroyers this summer because the ships lack abilities that top commanders believe are necessary to protect U.S. interests, according to the service's senior officer.

Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, said DDG-1000 Zumwalt class destroyer does not have crucial missile and air defense capabilities and defending it against enemy submarines would be difficult. The last ship in the class will cost $2.6 billion.

"I started looking at the DDG-1000. It has a lot of technology, but it cannot perform broader, integrated air and missile defense," Roughead said in his first interview since the controversial move was made to cancel the destroyer program.

The Navy announced its abandonment of the Zumwalt class in July, after purchasing two ships. Under pressure from Congress, the Navy agreed to build a third, but it plans to drop the new destroyer after that, ending a 13-year push and returning to an earlier destroyer model.

NTSB cites air-traffic controller for near-miss in N.J.

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Investigators say an air traffic controller was responsible for a near-miss at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey in July.

A report released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board blames an air traffic controller for not directing a Cessna to hold short of the runway while taxiing.

The Cessna was taxiing and about to cross a runway where a small jet was preparing to take off en route to Costa Rica on July 9.

The jet was forced to abort its takeoff. The two planes on the ground came within about 400 yards of each other. No one was injured. The incident took place just two weeks after a Lear jet landed on a closed runway at Teterboro.